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^ OCT 21 1898 

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



















RUTH AND HER 
GRANDFADDER 





RUTH 

AND HER 

GRANDFADDER 

A STORY FOR CHILDREN 
ylnr 
TODD 




WITH DRAWINGS BY 

it 

EDWARD B. EDWARDS 


A 


P A.S.BARNES €rCO. ^ 
L 156 FIFTH AYE. NEW YORIU 


r 7-i 

i T - 

■R 


Copyright, 1898, 

By A. S. Barnes and Company. 

All rights reserved. 

16857 



P ^ - 

University Press : 

'John Wilson & Son, Cambridge, U.S.A. 


w-S ♦ • 


18 




7 


The purpose of this book is to 
amuse little men and women, 
therefore it is lovingly 
dedicated to 
R. K. P. 







CONTENTS 


Introduction. 

The Lovers - - - 

Page 

9 

Chapter I. 

The Twins - - - 

l 3 

“ II. 

Christmas Morning 

36 

L “ In - 

Surprises - - - - 

53 

“ IV - 

Imagination - 

71 


e.b.e_ 







4 * 


* 



INTRODUCTION. 

THE LOVERS. 

UTH and Grandfadder were 
twins one day, 

The two little children were 
tired of play; 

When six o’clock came, he had 
to go ’way. 



And they had 


Not 


Kissed 


Each other. 


They had rolled on the floor, played horse 
and bear, 

And Indian hunters, foul weather and fair; 
Had danced many figures both round and 
square, 

But no time _ 

„ , , 

Each other. 


Grandfadder sat on the stairs in the hall; 
“Come, little sweetheart, this is my last 
call; 

You’ve forgotten something that pays for 
all;” 

For they had 


Not 


Kissed 


Each other. 


Then little Ruth came and lifted her chin, 
“Don’t blow, Grandfadder,” she said to 
her twin; 


But he, without fear, or ’fraid of the sin, 
Blew hard 

While . . 

Kissing 

Each other. 


With fun in her eyes and love on her lips, 
“I’ll pay you for that,” so behind him 
she skips, 

And into his ear several kisses she slips; 
Thus these twins 

Did 

Kiss f 

Each other. 





RUTH AND HER GRANDFADDER 


Chapter I. 

THE TWINS. 

UTH and her Grandfadder were 
twins — at least they thought 
so. They began the same day 
of the same year, and that 
makes them the same age. 
They were just alike ; that is, they did not 
look alike, but they felt alike and acted 
alike. 



When Ruth danced, Grandfadder 
danced j when Ruth cried, Grandfadder 
felt like crying. If Ruth hurt herself, it 
hurt Grandfadder also; and when she was 
glad, so was Grandfadder. 

They acted just alike, and it was diffi- 
cult to tell which was the younger. 

This was the way it all came about. 

It happened, one spring not long ago, 
there sailed across the unknown sea, a 
little craft manned by an angel crew and 
freighted with immortality. As it drew 
nearer, it was apparent it was destined 
for a bright and sunny harbor among the 
Elms. 

The log of that little craft contained 
this record, — 

“Arrived in port March 2d, 1893.” 
When its cargo had passed the Quaran- 
tine Officials, it proved to be a bundle 
of Sunshine, wrapped in finer stuff than 
ordinary mortals. 


14 


It was a little angel, not of the kind 
designated in the Good Book, but one 
that would one day, in the misty future, 
bring chunks of sunshine, and love, to 
the heart of some, now immature, Lord of 
Creation. 

On this same day Grandfadder began ; 
therefore, as they were the same age, they 
must be twins. 

Days stretched out into weeks, and 
weeks to months; and this little sweet- 
heart had no name, and no one was wise 
enough to suggest a fitting one. Grand- 
mudder racked her brains, in vain, to fit a 
name to the cherub. But among the 
Elms there was one nearer and dearer, to 
the contents of that little crib, than all 
the rest, who quietly whispered to the 
Parson; and when he, in his sacerdotal 
robes, said, “ I baptize thee, Ruth,” every 
head was bowed and every lip said Amen ! 

15 


And so it came about that Ruth, one 
of the finest, was duly certified to and 
started on that career which will continue 
long after 

“The Sun grows cold.” 

It must not be thought by the reader 
of this story, that Ruth was more than 
mortal, or better than other specimens of 
little children. While Grandfadder called 
her an angel, he meant it only in the sense 
that a lover uses it when addressing his 
sweetheart, feeling sure, in the bottom of 
his heart, that some day he will be obliged 
to say what kind of an angel she was. 

But Ruth as a baby was fine, done up 
in fine swaddling clothes ; her big gray 
eyes were diamonds of the first water, 
her complexion, that of a rose. An angel 
she was, and if the doctor, and her mother, 
had given her enough to eat to satisfy her 
baby appetite, an angel she would have 


continued ; but, poor child, when her little 
healthy stomach demanded food, how was 
she to make it known except by crying? 

Thus as months passed the angelic dis- 
position partook of the earthy, and she 
developed a will of her own, and a way 
of making it known. 

Now Grandfadder was not as much of 
an angel, though Ruth thought he was; 
and that answered the same purpose, so 
they were known as the “Two Angels,” 
and, like angels, they lived in perfect love 
for each other. 

Ruth was a picturesque little mortal as 
she trotted around the limit of the Elms, 
with her soft, yellow hair reaching halfway 
down her back; her cheeks like the blush 
of peaches; her eyes concentrated sun- 
beams; her hat a bouquet of flowers hang- 
ing on the back of her head. She was 
the pet of all. The gardener would spend 


hours talking to her; even the horses in 
their stalls would neigh a welcome to her. 
She loved the horses too. She knew 
them all by name, — Compensator, Bonus, 
Melville, White Gracie, and Sable Knight. 

But she loved Grandfadder more than 
the rest of her loves, and always had 
kisses growing under her chin for him 
alone; while she was sure to find some 
of the same sweets behind his left ear. 
Between them there was a bond of friend- 
ship that held firm amid all the stress of 
childhood sorrows, not to be broken, even 
by the corrective methods of the dark 
closet. 

Ruth has a fine appreciation of herself, 
that will make and support a lady of 
character. She is sure that she is made 
of “ Sugar and spice and all that is nice,” 
notwithstanding Grandfadder’s contention 
that she was composed of “Rats and snails 


and puppy dogs’ tails.” She could not 
be convinced even when backed up by 
the evidence of her little finger exhibiting 
the marks of a “puppy dog’s tail,” for, 
she was sure, her twin would be con- 
vinced of the error, by tasting under her 
chin 5 and he was forced to acknowledge 
the taste was very sweet, not a bit like 
a “puppy dog’s tail.” 

These twins, the Two Angels, did not 
live in the same house ; but Grandfadder 
would go almost every day to see his twin, 
and have some fun. So years passed, 
and three times, Santa Claus had come 
down the chimney and filled the stockings. 
Now the fourth Christmas was near, 
and Ruth was to hang up two pairs of 
stockings, — one pair was for herself, 
the other pair, for Grandfadder and Puggie, 
who were to share them together. She 
made Grandfadder write a letter to Santa 


■9 


Claus, and send it to the North Pole by 
the way of the Post Office in the dining- 
room fireplace, telling him to be sure to 
bring her a lot of things that were im- 
possible to get down the chimney, “not 
forgetting Grandfadder and Puggie.” 

One afternoon, just as the short winter’s 
day was turning into night, and the gas was 
lit, the door-bell rang; and Ruth shouted, 
as she ran to the door, “Oh! I know that’s 
Grandfadder. Ha, ha! Come in, and have 
some fun. I knowed you would come to 
see me. Ha, ha!” Her twin bounced 
into the hall, and, picking her up in his 
arms, ran like mad through parlor and 
dining-room, smothering her with kisses. 

Then he put her down, and started the 
music-box; and these Two Angels danced, 
and bowed, and halloed, and romped till 
“mudder” was heard at the head of the 
stairs: — 


“Sh-sh! Be quiet, children; you make 
too much noise.” 

Then they became as quiet as mice ; and 
Ruth brought Grandfadder a letter from 
Santa Claus, which came by the way of 
the Post Office in the dining-room fire- 
place, and climbed in his lap while he 
read : — 


North Pole, December 15, 1896. 

My Dear Little Ruth. — I was very 
glad to receive your nice, long letter. I 
like to hear from all of the little boys and 
girls; for I live so far away, where there is 
so much cold and ice, I cannot go out 
for fear of being frozen, except on 
Christmas Eve. I will try to remember all 
the things you say you want; and if I 
can get them down the chimney, you will 
find them in, or near, your stockings, 
Christmas morning. Be sure and not wake 


up while I am in your bedroom; for if 
children wake up, while I am filling their 
stockings, I always disappear up the chim- 
ney. I hope you are very well, and will 
not catch cold, this winter, and have to 
stay in the house, for, it may be, I can 
meet you, some day, on the avenue. So 
be as good as you can, and get Grand- 
fadder to tell you why I visit all good 
children on Christmas Eve. Good-by. 
From your loving Santa Cla ^ 

Then these twins looked at each other 
and laughed. Then Grandfadder put his 
right hand over his mouth and laughed 
more; so did Ruth. 

Then Grandfadder put his left hand 
over his mouth and laughed harder; so 
did Ruth. 

Then Grandfadder laughed so hard, he 
fell off the chair, and rolled on the floor; 
so did Ruth. 


Then Grandfadder held his sides so he 
would not split open, laughing; and so did 
Ruth. 

Then Grandfadder kissed Ruth under 
her chin, and she kissed him behind his 
ear. Then she said, 

“Grandfadder, tell me why Santa Claus 
comes Christmas.” Taking her on his lap, 
he said he would tell her a Christmas 
story, if she would tell him one; and 
she asked, “Truly?” 

So these two angels quieted down, on 
the same corner of the sofa, and Ruth told 
Grandfadder this story: — 

“ Once on a time there was a little girl 
named Ruth, who had a fadder and mud- 
der and a dog, Puggie. Now my name is 
Ruth ; but this was another Ruth, and she 
lived across the lake, after you go through 
the long house that is built over the water, 
where the chu-chu-cars run. Now one 


23 


day a big bear earned along and chased 
them, and they all climbed a tree, and the 
chu-chu-cars came along and runned over 
them and made them dead, but a man 
earned along and pushed a button and 
they all corned to life again.” 

“But,” said Grandfadder, “that is not 
a Christmas story.” 

“Well, what of it?” replied his twin. 
“ I did not promise to tell you a Christ- 
mas story; you said you would tell me 
one ; ” and the other angel had to own up 
that was true, so he said : — 

“ Lean your head on my shoulder, and 
be very quiet, and I will tell you a Christ- 
mas story about 

“Carl’s Dream. 

“Charley was his name, but his papa 
and mamma — ” 

“You must not say papa and mamma,” 

*4 


interrupted Ruth, “but fadder and mud- 
der.” 

“All right,” said Grandfadder; “his 
fadder and mudder called him Carl, — sort 
of a love name. He was a chubby-faced 
little boy about seven years old, and had 
a goat, a kitty, and a monkey. He lived 
in a great house about a mile from the vil- 
lage, down the turnpike, with large trees 
in front of it, and nice picnic grounds 
behind it. He had a lot of brothers and 
sisters, who loved him dearly. 

“Carl was not a bad boy, though some^ 
times he would be cross, and once in a 
while deserved a spanking; for he would 
tease his pets by making Jock, the mon- 
key, take kitty-cat, and ride horseback on 
Jumbo, the goat, yet he was a kind boy. 

“It was the day before Christmas, and 
Carl had been at school all the morning. 
After school he staid, a little while, to 
25 


slide down hill with the boys, and arrived 
home with wet feet. It was a cold day 
and began snowing after dinner, so his 
mamma — ” 

“No; mudder,” said Ruth again. 

“Yes; mudder told him he need not go 
to school in the storm, which made him 
very glad; so he took off his wet shoes 
and sat in the easy-chair before a great 
warm lire in the library. 

“He sat a long time, and fell asleep, 
thinking about Santa Claus, - — - how he 
would come down the chimney that night, 
and the pretty things he would leave for 
them. 

“Then, looking out of the window, he 
saw the wind blowing hard, and the snow 
coming down ever so fast; while Jack 
Frost made pretty pictures on the window- 
pane. He was glad he was so snug by 
the warm fire, and wondered if Santa Claus 

26 


would not freeze his ears, or toes, if he 
came out such a night. Then he thought 
of the boys, — what fun they would have 
with their sleds coming home from school 
in the snow. The more he thought of 
it, the more he wanted to go to school. 
He listened, and heard the school bell, 
and concluded he would run and tell his 
mudder he was going ; then, putting on 
his rubber boots, and fur cap, and great 
warm coat, he took his newly painted sled 
and went out. 

“ Somehow things did not go smoothly 
with Carl that afternoon, at school; he 
was too busy thinking of the snow and 
fun, to learn his spelling lesson, and his 
teacher made him stay after school, till 
half-past four. This made him very 
cross, as the other boys had gone home, 
and he forgot that to-morrow would be 
Christmas. 


27 


“At half-past four it began to be dark, 
and he had a long walk before him. It 
was storming hard, the snow was deep, and 
as he trudged along alone, he thought his 
teacher was very unkind to keep him after 
school. 

“Carl was about half-way home and 
almost frozen, in spite of his warm wraps, 
when he overtook Jenny Kennedy and her 
brother Jim. They lived in the lane a 
quarter of a mile below Carl’s house, and 
were carrying a heavy basket of coal. 
They were tired and cold, and Jenny’s 
toes peeked out of her shoes, and were 
very red. 

“When Carl caught up to them, she 
asked him : ‘ Please, may we put the basket 
of coal on your sled ? ’ 

“Usually, Carl would have said, yes, 
at once 5 but he was not the ‘good Carl’ 
now. He thought of his pretty sled and 
2 $ 


the picture on it ; the basket might scratch 
it ; besides, he was in a hurry ; so he ran on, 
saying as he passed, ‘No, you can’t.’ ” 

“Oh, what a naughty boy!” said 
Ruth. 

“When he arrived at home, his mud- 
der kissed him; but he was not happy. 
Kitty scratched his hand, and Jock pulled 
his hair. The library fire did not look 
as cheerful, and pleasant, as it did when 
he went to school; all because he was 
thinking of those two poor children, out 
in the cold and storm, with their basket 
of coal. 

“The winds were howling terribly, and 
the snow drifting badly. The more he 
thought of Jim and Jenny, the more 
sorry he was he had been so disobliging 
and cross. Finally, he decided the best 
thing to do would be to hunt them up; 
so, wrapping himself up again and taking 

29 


his sled, he started down the road to find 
the children, wondering if they were not 
at home, long ago. He did not go far 
before he found them in a snowdrift, nes- 
tled closely together, under Jenny’s thin 
shawl, to keep warm. Then he heard them 
talking: Jimmy was saying his ‘Sunday- 
school teacher had said that Jesus would 
hear little children’s prayers as well as big 
folks’ 5 now you pray, Jenny, and I know 
He will come and help us.’ 

“Then he heard Jenny’s little, trem- 
bling voice : — 

“‘Please, Jesus, don’t let mamma and 
baby freeze before we get home with this 
coal, and help us carry it. Amen.’ 

“A tear started in Carl’s eye; he 
was very sorry he had been so unkind. 
Then he heard a very strange sound ; he 
had never heard anything like it before. 
It was a musical sound and seemed to 


30 


come from the wind in the trees, or the 
snowflakes, and to say: — 

“ ‘I feed the ravens and clothe the lilies; 
I come quickly.’ 

“ Carl did not quite understand the 
words, they were so strange; but he was 
very sorry for the children, and, hurrying 
to them, told them so, and that he would 
help them home, for which they were very 
g!ad. 

“Jimmy helped Carl put Jenny and 
the basket on the sled, then both pulled 
it towards the little cottage.” 

“ Now Carl was good, was n’t he, Grand- 
fadder?” 

“Yes, Sweetheart. 

“ Carl’s heart was lighter now, he was 
not at all cold, and in a little while they 
were at the widow’s house. Carl helped 
Jenny into the house and, putting the bas- 
ket on the doorstep, wished Jimmy ‘good- 

3 1 


night and a merry Christmas,’ when, 
wonderful to tell, there was no Jimmy, 
but instead he saw the Christ Child, 
who, taking him by the hand, said:- — 

“ ‘ Carl, in helping Jimmy you have 
helped Me;’ and he learned that kind 
actions helped Christ. Kneeling, Carl 
prayed : ‘ Dear Jesus, always help me to 
help Thee.’” 

“Why didn’t he say ‘Now I lay me,’ 
too ? ” asked Ruth ; and Grandfadder told 
her “ Carl was not going to bed. 

“As he arose to his feet again, all 
around him — up the road and down the 
road and across the fields — came, trooping 
toward him, great packs of hungry wolves; 
and what was strange about them, they all 
had names on their foreheads, which he 
could read in the dark and storm : ‘Naughty 
Words,’ ‘CrossWords,’ ‘Mean Thoughts,’ 
‘Unkind Acts,’ ‘Lies,’ ‘Selfishness,’ ‘Steal- 

3 2 


ing,’ etc. He was very much frightened, 
and did not know what to do nor how 
to escape them. He thought he must be 
eaten by them, and would never see his 
fadder and mudder again.” 

“Why didn’t he runned into Jimmy’s 
house?” asked Ruth. 

“I suppose he was too frightened,” said 
Grandfadder ; and his twin shivered. 

“He thought he would never see his 
papa and mamma — ” 

“No; fadder and mudder, I tell you.” 
“Yes; fadder and mudder again, and 
began to cry, when, suddenly, he heard the 
same strange, sweet voice from the winds, 
or the snowflakes, saying softly : — 

“ ‘Come unto me ;’ and he knew it was 
the voice of the Christ Child. 

“But, wonderful, the child was a great 
man now, and had a crown of thorns on 
His head, and scars on His hands, which 

3 33 


Carl plainly saw as He held out his arms 
toward him. 

“It took but a moment for him to un- 
derstand it all ; and, with one great effort, 
just as the wolves were ready to catch 
him, he jumped and was caught by The 
Christ and was safe. Looking up into 
the face bending over him, he saw it was 
The Christ no longer, but his mudder, 
who, kissing him, said : — 

“ ‘Come, Carl, wake up 5 you have had 
a long nap, and supper is almost ready,’ 
and Carl knew he had been dreaming. 
But he was taught a lesson he never for- 
got, and I hope The Christ will teach 
Ruth the same lesson, that she may escape 
the hungry wolves, by being safe in the 
arms of Jesus.” 

“Say, Grandfadder,” asked Ruth, with 
her big eyes wide open, “do naughty 
wolves always try to eat up little chil- 

34 


dren that are not safe in’ the arms of 
Jesus?” 

And Grandfadder, giving her a hug 
and a lot of kisses, said : — 

“Yes, Sweetheart, — some kinds of 
wolves.” 

“Will you tell me another story, 
Grandfadder ? ” 

“Yes, Sweetheart $ sometime. Good- 
night.” 

So these twins played, and romped, 
and talked, and you could not tell which 
was the older, in fact, if either was; for 
they were both children. Some day I 
may tell you more about them. 



35 



Chapter II. 

CHRISTMAS MORNING. 

WISH you a Merry Christ- 
mas! ’’shouted RuthtoGrand- 
fadder, as she ran to the door 
Christmas morning, with Pug- 
gie at her heels. “Come and 
see the lot of things Santa Claus brought 
me last night.” Puggie said, “Bow- 
wow! ” 



36 


Then Grandfadder ran as fast as his legs 
could carry him to the play-room, shout- 
ing, “Merry Christmas! Merry Christ- 
mas!” and Ruth ran after him, shouting, 
“Wait, Grandfadder! wait for me!” and 
Puggie ran after Ruth, shouting, “Bow- 
wow-wow!” Before Grandfadder got to 
the play-room, Ruth had him by his coat- 
tails, and Puggie had her by her dress, 
and so the procession stopped. 

“Well, now,” said Grandfadder, “what’s 
the matter?” as Ruth turned up her pretty 
face, her lips trembling. She said : — 

“You’ve forgotten something,” while 
Puggie stood with his head down and 
looked sad. 

So Grandfadder scratched his head and 
tried hard to think what he had forgotten; 
and Puggie scratched his ear with his paw, 
thinking; but when Ruth threw back her 
head and pointed to her chin, then he 

37 


knew what he had forgotten. He picked 
her up in his arms, and kissed that white 
neck till it was red. “Don’t blow, Grand- 
fadder,” she said; but that naughty twin 
kissed and blew, and blew and kissed, while 
Ruth squirmed and wriggled to escape, for 
he tickled her. Then Puggie just lay on 
his back and rolled in glee. 

“Now, Sweetheart, are you satisfied?” 
asked Grandfadder; and when she said she 
was, he pointed behind his ear and said he 
wasn’t, “But you mustn’t kiss me in 
my ear.” 

Then Ruth gave her twin such a loud 
smack, right in his ear, that Puggie jumped 
up and ran behind the table. 

“Now, you stay here behind this door 
till I call you,” said Ruth, as she, with 
Puggie, went into the play-room. 

Then Grandfadder waited, it seemed 
ever so long, till he was tired of waiting; 

38 


then he knocked on the door, and a little 
voice called, “Come in.” 

Such a sight! Ruth was seated on a 
sled, with five dollies in her lap, and Pug- 
gie, with his tail drooping between his legs, 
had the rope wound around his neck. On 
the table were four beautiful picture-books. 
Scattered around the room were a carpet- 
sweeper, a snow-shovel, a goat that could 
say “Baa!” a doll’s carriage, a little sleigh 
drawn by two reindeer, a trunk, a cabbage 
filled with candy, with a bunny’s head 
sticking out of the top, and so many more 
things that it made Grandfadder’s head 
swim; and he just lifted up his hands in 
astonishment, and said, “Well, well!” 

Poor Puggie did not enjoy having the 
rope around his neck, and his eyes said to 
Grandfadder, “Pity me;” so that naughty 
man stooped over and unwound the rope 
from poor Puggie’s neck; and, as he 

39 


jumped into a chair, he said with his eyes, 
“Thank you, Grandfadder,” but Ruth 
said, in a voice of impatience: — 

“Here, Grandfadder, what are you 
doing? He ’s my horse, and I ’m taking 
my children out riding.” But when her 
twin explained that the rope hurt Puggie’s 
neck, she was very sorry for him, and, 
taking a piece of candy from the inside 
of that wonderful cabbage, put her arms 
around Puggie’s neck and the candy 
in his mouth. Then Puggie was happy 
again. 

“Well,” said Grandfadder, “where did 
all of these pretty things come from?” 

“Why, you goose, Santa Claus brought 
them last night,” responded Ruth. 

“But how could he get them down the 
chimney?” 

“I do’ know; how could he, Puggie?” 
(Whenever Ruth was puzzled with a hard 

40 


question, she always asked Puggie.) And 
he answered, “Bow-wow-wow!” 

“There, now you know,” said Ruth to 
Grandfadder; “he just bow-wowed them 
down the chimney.” And the Old Goose 
was satisfied. 

“But have you thanked Santa Claus 
for bringing them?” he asked. 

“Why, no, course not; how could I? 
He’s not here.” 

“Maybe he is. Look up the chimney 
and see.” So Ruth and Puggie walked 
to the hearth and, stooping down, looked 
up the chimney, but could see no Santa 
Claus, only a black, smoky hole. Just 
then Puggie sneezed and stood on his hind 
legs, and Ruth asked, — 

“Do you see him, Puggie?” and he 
replied yes with a “Bow-wow.” 

Then Ruth began to think, and said: 

“Maybe he is up there, and Puggie 


sees him. He can see farther than I 
can, can’t he, Grandfadder?” 

“Yes, Sweetheart; call, and see if he 
will answer.” 

“Santa Claus! S-a-n-t-a C-l-a-u-s ! ” 
And away off from the back of the room, 
or behind the door, or it may be the 
chimney, came a muffled, deep voice: 

“What, Ruth?” 

“Oh, yes, Grandfadder,” said delighted 
Ruth, clapping her hands; “he’s up there, 
for sure. Say, Santa Claus, you ’re very 
kind to bring me these nice presents, and 
I thank you very much ; ” while Puggie 
jumped up and down, and tried to clap his 
hands, or paws, but all he could say was: 

“Wow.” 

“Well, be a good girl, then, all of 
this year, and don’t tease Grandfadder,” 
came from somewhere. But the idea that 
she could do anything that would tease 

42 


her twin was so preposterous that her 
shoes laughed; and they laughed so hard 
that they could not keep still, but hopped, 
first one and then the other. Then she 
turned to tell him all about it, but no 
Grandfadder was there; he had slipped 
into the parlor to see mudder. 

“ Grandfadder ! Say, Grandfadder ! 
Come here right away, and play with 
me.” And the Old Goose did. 

Then they played it was winter, and 
took all of the dollies sleigh-riding, while 
Puggie had to run fast to keep warm. 
Then they played it was summer, and 
took all of the dollies riding in the new 
doll’s carriage, while Puggie smelled of 
the cabbage with the candy in it, thinking 
it was a rose; and he was so warm that 
his tongue hung out of his mouth, and he 
panted, and Grandfadder was so warm 
that he wiped his forehead. 


43 


Then they played house ; and Ruth 
swept up the floor with her new carpet- 
sweeper, while her twin set the table for 
tea, for five little-girl dolls had been 
invited. 

There were eight plates on the table 
for that tea-party,- — five for company, one 
for the hostess, who poured the tea, one 
for Puggie, who had not succeeded in 
getting his tongue back into his mouth, 
and one for the Old Goose. 

That was a great tea-party. The dol- 
lies did not have much to say, and behaved 
very properly. Grandfadder was not very 
hungry, and did not eat much; Ruth was 
too much excited entertaining her guests 
to eat; so Puggie ate all there was. First 
he put his paws on the table, and nearly 
tipped it over; then Ruth scolded him, 
but he did not care much for that. Then 
he licked his plate, and Ruth told him 


44 


that was not nice, which made him look 
rather crestfallen. Then he stood on his 
hind legs and barked, and had to be sent 
from the table. 

“Naughty dog,” said Ruth, “what 
will these ladies think, if you behave like 
that? Go, stand in the corner.” But 
poor, disgraced Puggie, banished from 
the table, was not to be cheated out of 
his supper in that way, for when Ruth 
thought of him again he was under the 
table with a cornucopia between his paws, 
eating the candy. 

“Here!” she shouted, getting off her 
chair so hurriedly that she upset the table, 
dishes, dollies, and Grandfadder, and they 
fell in a heap on poor Puggie, “here, 
you naughty dog!” But the catastrophe 
was so sudden, she never finished her 
sentence. 

Now, here was a mess. All were piled 

45 


up together. The first one out of it was 
Puggie, who jumped into a chair; and if 
a dog ever laughed, he did, and that 
made Ruth laugh. Then her twin picked 
himself from out of the debris, and, put- 
ting on his eye-glasses again, helped to 
restore order. 

Now Ruth wanted to play it was 
Christmas Eve; so she lay down, with 
Puggie in her arms, pretending to be 
asleep, while Grandfadder arranged all of 
her toys around her, and then said: — 

“Merry Christmas to all, to all a good- 
night ! ” 

When Ruth and Puggie woke up, 
they were surprised to see their presents, 
or pretended to be; but Ruth could not 
imagine where her twin had disappeared 
to, till, remembering the parlor, she called 
him back again to play. 

So the morning passed, till these three 

46 


children, Ruth, Puggie, and Grandfadder, 
were tired enough to rest; and Grand- 
fadder lay down on the lounge, with 
Ruth by his side, her arms around his 
neck, with Puggie at his feet. 

“Now, Sweetheart, tell me what day 
this is.” 

“Why, Christmas, you goose.” 

“Well, I know that, you gosling; but 
why is it called Christmas?” 

“Because some one was born to-day.” 

“Well, who?” 

“Oh, you tell, Grandfadder.” 

“Well, I will, if you will say the 
little verse Grandfadder taught you last 
Sunday.” 

“Will you? Will you tell me a 
Christmas story?” 

“Yes, if you will say your verse.” 

“Suffer the little — no, that’s not it. 
Now, how does it go? Now I lay me 

47 


— no, that’s not it either. How does it 
go, Grandfadder ? ” 

“But you were to tell me.” 

“Yes, but I forget it.” 

“Will you say it, if I tell you again?” 
“Yes, honest, if you will tell me a 
story, and not blow on my neck when 
you kiss me.” 

“Now, try me.” And those twin 
lovers kissed each other a lot of times, 
and Grandfadder did not blow once. 
Then he said: — 

“Listen. 

“ ‘ All the centuries since have sung 
The praise of Him, sweet Mary’s Son$ 
For pious souls now find the tryst 
Of God and man : it is the Christ.’ ” 

Then that sweet little twin stood up, 
and made a bow, and spoke her verse as 
nicely as any little girl in Sunday-school. 

48 


“Say, Grandfadder, tell me what ‘tryst’ 
means.” 

“It means the place where those that 
love each other, very much, meet.” 

“And does that verse mean that God 
loves a man, and a man loves God, and 
they meet each other?” 

“Yes, Sweetheart, it means just that. 
When man wants to find God, he goes 
to Christ, and they two are like lovers, 
just whispering loving words to one an- 
other, and no one else hears what they 
say ; for when lovers meet at the tryst- 
ing-place, they talk so soft and low no 
one else can understand them. Then 
they give each other new names; so God, 
in Christ, has a new name for all of His 
lovers.” 

“Will he give me a new name, 
Grandfadder ? ” 

“Yes, Sweetheart.” 


49 


“What will it be?” 

“Oh, I don’t know; some sweet, ten- 
der name that you both will know, and it 
will show you how much He loves you, 
but you can never make any one else 
understand.” 

“I wish He would call me His Sun- 
beam.” 

“Maybe He will, darling, if you love 
Him enough.” 

“And is this His birthday? Tell me 
about Him.” 

So Grandfadder told his pet the old 
story of the first Christmas Eve, — of how 
Mary and Joseph, finding no room in the 
inn, slept in the stable among the cattle, 
and the sweet little Babe was put to sleep 
in a manger. 

“ If they had come here, they might have 
put Him to sleep in my crib,” said Ruth, 
her eyes filling with tears of sympathy. 

5 ° 


“ Oh ! but,” said Grandfadder, “ that 
was a great many years ago, — almost two 
thousand.” 

“Where was I then?” asked Ruth, 
astonished. 

“ That ’s hard to tell ; you were not 
born then. Perhaps you were playing 
with the little cherubs in some far-away 
Paradise. Anyway, they had no crib for 
Him; but there was something better, — 
a whole choir of angels came down from 
Heaven to sing about Him and to Him, 
and those who wanted to hear, heard 
them sing, — 

“ ‘ Glory to God in the Highest ; on 
earth peace, goodwill to men.’ ” 

“ How wonderful ! ” said Ruth ; “ I ’ve 
never seen or heard an angel; have you, 
Grandfadder ? ” 

“Well, Sweetheart, not exactly that 
kind ; but I ’ve seen a little one, and 


heard her sing. She ’s angel enough for 
me.” 

“What’s her name?” 

“I’ll not tell you her name; but she’s 
Grandfadder’s Sweetheart.” 

Then the nurse took Ruth, to dress 
her for dinner. 



5 2 



Chapter III. 

SURPRISES. 

HE next visit Grandfadder 
paid his Sweetheart, she spied 
him coming up the avenue, 
and gave her nurse directions 
to inform him that she was 
going to surprise him, by hiding; and if 
he wanted to see her, he must seek for 



53 



her. As soon as he had taken off his 
wraps and rubbers, a little “ Coop ! ” 
sounded from upstairs, and one twin set 
out in quest for the other. But surprises 
were in order that day; for Grandfadder, 
catching up the bearskin rug, wrapped it 
around his shoulders and crept upstairs 
on all fours, growling like a real live bear. 
This sudden transformation, from a Grand- 
fadder to a bear, was too much for both 
Puggie and Ruth. No sooner did the 
little dog see the head of the bear coming 
up the stairs, than his courage gave way 
to fear, and he ran into the closet, yelp- 
ing; while the strange, unusual noises of 
growls and yelps were sufficient to arouse 
the curiosity of Miss Ruth to such an 
extent, that her hiding-place had no fur- 
ther attractions. 

She must learn what those strange 
noises meant; and, running from behind 

54 


the portiere, she discovered the black, 
shaggy head, snapping and growling. 

Now her eyes opened wide, and rapidly 
changing emotions took possession of her. 
First, fear: should she run? Surely, little 
girls could not face big black bears alone. 
Where was Grandfadder ? Why did he not 
hurry upstairs and help catch the bear? 
Then, wonder : that a bear should be in 
the house, and no one know it but she 
and Fuggie. There must be some mis- 
take 5 she would inquire of Bridget. But 
by the time she had found refuge on 
Bridget’s lap, the big bear was at her heels, 
and she could get a better look at him. 
Then her wonder gave way to assurance, 
for, under the bear’s head, peeping out 
between his fore legs, she saw the face of 
her loving twin, and was afraid no more, 
but, with a shout of confidence, she 
bounded to the back of that bear, and 


made him give her and Puggie a ride, 
“a horseback,” all over the house. 

There is no doubt which of the trio 
got the worst of that game. Grandfadder 
repented, very soon 5 but a bear he was, 
and must be, till the two riders had enough, 
— at least that was the penalty imposed on 
him, — and he stood it as long as he could 
without complaining. But nature, espe- 
cially the nature of a Grandfadder-bear, 
rebels at being encased in a bearskin, and 
walking on hands and knees, after fifteen 
or twenty minutes, and, asserting itself, 
just like a bear, he lay down and rolled 
over, and three children were in a heap 
on the floor. 

Then the game of hide-and-seek was 
resumed. Grandfadder promised he would 
not peek, while Ruth and Puggie went to 
hide. “Coop!” sounded from the blue 
room, and the search began. Under the 

5 « 


bed, behind the door, in the closet, — no 
little girl could be found ; she had fooled 
Grandfadder by running out of one door 
as he came in the other, and was standing 
in the hall, arms akimbo, laughing at her 
twin hunting for her ; so he threatened to 
eat her up, just like a bear, if she played 
him such a trick again. 

But where was Puggie, — still hiding? 
Again did Grandfadder look through the 
rooms unsuccessfully, and was about giv- 
ing it up, when a little whine came from 
the direction of the bureau. Can it be 
possible? Not on top, — no dog was 
there; nor behind the bureau, nor under 
it. There was but one place more, — the 
drawers. Not in the upper one, nor in 
the lower one; but on opening the middle 
one, out jumped Puggie, like a jack-in- 
a-box, almost suffocated, and glad to be 
released. So glad was he that he jumped 

57 


right on Ruth, and for a minute Grand- 
fadder did not know which was which, 
they rolled over so fast on the floor. 

“What fun!” laughed Ruth; “but I 
know a lot more fun than that.” 

“What is it, Sweetheart? ” asked her 
twin. 

“To dance. I ’ve been to dancing- 
school to-day; and if you will make the 
music-box go, I will show you how to 
dance.” 

So down to the parlor they went, Pug- 
gie leading, and the music-box was started. 
It made no difference to that silly party 
what tune was played, — whether “Holy 
Night,” “Liberty Bells,” or “The Last 
Rose of Summer.” All were good enough 
for that dancing-lesson. 

“Now, take your place so,” said Ruth, 
assuming an attitude, with her hands rest- 
ing on her hips, left foot tilting forward. 

58 


Then Grandfadder took the same posi- 
tion; while Puggie made frantic efforts to 
do the same, but the best he could do 
was to stand on his hind legs. 

“Now, this is the two-step dance, and 
you must do so,” gliding over the carpet 
as gracefully as a swan in the water, and 
assuming another attitude. But her com- 
panions were not as graceful. Grand- 
fadder’s two-step dance was like that of 
the red cow when she comes home at 
milking-time, while Puggie did the best 
he could on his hind legs. 

“Oh, that’s not right,” said Ruth, 
correcting their awkward efforts to glide. 
“You must count, ‘One, two,’ and put 
your feet this way, and then go.” But 
Grandfadder’s efforts were not a success; 
for, although he counted, “One, two,” 
his feet would turn in, and he stumbled 
over the rug, falling flat, with Puggie, 

59 


whose faithful efforts were no more suc- 
cessful, on top of him. 

“I ’ll tell you a better dance than that,” 
he said, as he lay on the floor, “if you’ll 
pick me up.” So with Ruth’s assistance 
he got on his feet, and explained the 
dance of “all hands around.” 

“Now take hold of my hand and 
Puggie’s.” When the circle was com- 
plete, the dance began. There was not 
much of grace or poetry in that dance, 
but there was more fun and noise than in 
the one-two-step; and around they went, 
shouting, stamping, bowing, and Puggie 
made the most noise, till suddenly the 
music-box stopped for want of winding. 
Then those noisy children stopped, much 
to the relief of mudder. 

“Now what shall we do?” asked Ruth, 
panting from the exertion of the dance; 
and Grandfadder said he wanted his 


60 


supper. The table was spread, and the 
dishes placed. Puggie was given a seat 
at the side of Ruth, after having a napkin 
tied around his neck, and he was fastened 
in his chair. 

“ Grandfadder, what shall I help you 
to?” 

“Fried spiders, if you please,” which 
were asked for so suddenly that it nearly 
upset the gravity of the hostess ; but, 
having served the spiders, she was equal 
to the occasion, and remarked, “The 
roasted butterflies are very nice,” and 
passed them. Then Grandfadder said he 
“enjoyed the mouse salad, especially the 
fly dressing,” and helped Puggie 5 but 
Ruth thought, as she had eaten enough, 
she would serve the coffee. 

Then an awful thing happened. Grand- 
fadder opened his mouth to drink the 
coffee, and into it slipped both cup and 
saucer. 61 


What would a good housekeeper do 
when she saw her best china disappear? 
What should a good housekeeper do, 
under such circumstances, but rescue her 
property, and make it impossible for the 
culprit to swallow more? With a face 
pink with dismay and chagrin that she had 
such guests, she gravely arose from the 
table, and, taking her naughty twin by 
the ear, led him to the dark closet, to 
make him a prisoner. It made no differ- 
ence if Grandfadder did have to stoop to 
enable her to reach his ear; he was in 
disgrace, and stooping added but little to 
his humility. 

This ending of a pleasant tea-party was 
not satisfactory to Puggie, who was left in 
his chair alone at the table; nor was he 
willing that Grandfadder should be shut 
up in the dark; so, from sympathy for 
his banished friend, he thought of a rude 

62 


method of assisting him to escape. With 
one extraordinary effort he leaped from 
the table, overturning it, mixing table, 
dishes, fried spiders, and mouse salad in 
one mass on the floor, and, with the nap- 
kin hanging from his neck, dragging his 
chair after him, he ran to the closet just 
in time to get inside, leaving the chair 
half-way out, so the door could not be 
closed. 

Grandfadder blessed his stars that de- 
liverance came so soon, and, releasing 
Puggie from his superfluous linen and fur- 
niture, took him in his arms, and patted 
his head in thankfulness. 

Ruth, seeing her two friends arrayed 
against her, and so suddenly, too, made 
no further efforts to confine her prisoner; 
and Grandfadder proposed a quieter time 
in the den, marching there with both of 
them in his arms. Peace was restored. 


63 


The exertions of the past hour had 
been pretty severe, and the three children 
were willing to rest awhile on the lounge. 

To add interest to the period of rest, 
Grandfadder proposed that both Ruth and 
Puggie should tell him a story. 

“Well, I guess not,” said Ruth, sniff- 
ing treachery in the air; “you know 
Puggie can’t talk.” 

“Well, we’ll see,” said Grandfadder. 
“You shall have a story from him, if you 
will tell us one first.” 

“Honest?” 

“Yes, honest Injun.” 

So Ruth told the story of “A Froggie 
would a-Wooing Go” all through, and 
then demanded that Grandfadder should 
redeem his promise. 

Then Grandfadder took Puggie in his 
arms, and snuggled him up on the pillow 
between him and Ruth, and told her to 

64 


turn over and look out of the window all 
the time Puggie was talking. In this 
fashion was a story told in a little, squeak- 
ing voice, not much like a dog’s, but, 
aided by a strong imagination, it passed 
muster. 

“My father’s name is Curley ; and my 
mother’s, Fido. When I first opened my 
eyes in this world, I did not have a 
name. The first thing I remember was 
my mother washing me with her tongue. 
She had no wash-cloth or towels, so after 
the washing I had to get dry by lying 
close beside her. Then she gave me my 
dinner, and I went to sleep; and when I 
awoke, I found I had three sisters in bed 
with me. 

“Our bed was in a box, in which there 
was some hay and a piece of nice, clean 
carpet, and we children were so tired and 
sleepy that we did not get up for two or 

5 65 


three days. We were just as lazy as we 
wanted to be. 

“I thought it was a funny world I had 
come to, when I began to notice things, 
and look over the top of our bed. Every- 
thing was green and blue and red, and so 
big. I was such a little mite that I was 
afraid my mother would lose me. 

“One day father and mother went out 
walking, and left us children in bed sleep- 
ing. In a little while we woke up, and 
began to look around at things near us. 
I climbed up with my paws on the edge 
of the box, and thought I would take a 
walk too, when one of my sisters took 
my tail in her mouth, and pulled me back 
so hard that my back was hurt; and I 
just turned around and slapped her face 
with my paw. Now, that was not a nice 
thing for little dogs to do; but I knew 
no better then. 


66 


“Then I climbed out of the box, and 
found nice green grass to roll on. I 
did not know it was grass then, but 
thought it was a green carpet, and rolled 
and walked and ran ever so far from our 
bed, having a jolly time. The world 
looked funnier than ever; there were such 
queer things growing out of the ground, 
all colors, and smelling very sweet, and 
such queer things flying in the air. One 
was like a yellow bird, with big, flat 
wings. It would fly a little way and then 
stop, then fly again; so I made up my 
mind to see what it was, and why it did 
not walk with its feet on the ground, same 
as I, and not go buzzing through the air 
in that way. So I walked up to it, and 
smelt of it; and it buzzed so loud as 
it flew away that I was frightened, and 
turned to hurry back to our bed, when 
there stood before me a great, big, gray 

67 


thing, on four feet, with a long tail. It 
had fur all over it, much longer than my 
fur, and whiskers growing each side of 
its nose. 

“I tell you I was frightened. It was a 
regular goblin, and looked fierce enough 
to eat me. 

“Then I thought of the story of Little 
Red Riding Hood, and wondered if this 
was a wolf. I could not get by it to run 
home, so I made up my mind to talk 
to it, and show it I was not afraid; so I 
began, like Red Riding Hood: — 

“ ‘What are your feet for ? ’ ‘To walk 
with, my dear.’ 

“‘What are your ears for?’ ‘To hear 
with, my dear.’ 

“‘What is your nose for?’ ‘To smell 
with, my dear.’ 

“‘What is your mouth for?’ — ” 

“Oh, don’t tell me that!” cried Ruth. 


68 


you were 


“I don’t like to hear how 
eaten up.” 

“But I was not eaten up; for just as 
it opened its mouth to take me in, and I 
thought my end had come, its tail began 
to swell up to twice its size, and its back 
began to rise up and up till it was twice 
as high as its head and tail, and I was 
wondering what would happen next, when 
my mother jumped from behind me with 
a great rush, saying, ‘Bow, wow!’ at it; 
and it just said, ‘M-e-o-w!’ and ran away 
as fast as its legs would carry it, while my 
mother took me in her mouth, and carried 
me back to bed. Then she gave me a 
scolding for running away, and I prom- 
ised to be a good dog, and not run 
away again. 

“ The next day Miss Ruth came to see 
me; and she called me a pretty darling, 
and said I should be her dog, and be- 
es 


cause my nose turned up I should be 
named Puggie, and then — ” 

But Grandfadder, hearing a rather 
heavy, regular breathing from his twin, 
said, “Ruth;” and, getting no response, 
Puggie whispered in his ear that Ruth was 
asleep. So he quietly slipped away, and 
went home. She was tired out with play. 



70 




Chapter IV. 
IMAGINATION. 
RANDFADDER was sitting 
at his desk in his office one 
fine winter’s afternoon; the 
snow was deep ; the sleighing 
good. He had been thinking 
of Ruth, and wondering what new char- 
acteristic she would exhibit at their next 



meeting, when a messenger announced a 
sleigh was at the door, and two ladies 
were in it who wanted to see him. On 
responding to the call, he found Ruth and 
her “mudder,” wrapped in furs, with Pug- 
gie between them, in a sleigh, to which 
were hitched Compensator and Melville, 
Ruth’s favorite ponies. 

“Good-afternoon, Grandfadder,” came 
from a little lady hidden among the furs. 
“We have come to give you a ride on 
the avenue.” 

“But I can’t go, my dear; my work 
is not done, and I must stay here to make 
some bread and butter,” said Grandfadder. 

“Well, I guess not,” replied Ruth, 
failing to catch his meaning; “this is not 
a bakery, and you are not a cook. Come, 
get in right away, and when you go up 
to mudder’s house she will give you all 
of the bread and butter you want.” 

72 


“But who will write my letters?” ob- 
jected Grandfadder. 

“Never mind the letters; write them 
to-morrow. Come, get in, and stay to 
tea with us,” demanded Ruth. 

Now, what do you expect an “Old 
Goose” would do, on a bright, sunny 
afternoon, with such an invitation and 
such company? He shut up his desk, 
and locked his office, and let the idea of 
bread and butter and letters go where it 
came from, and, without further objection, 
went sleigh-riding. 

Up and down the avenue, in and out 
among the teams, here and there they 
glided to the tune of merry sleigh-bells. 
I tell you it was fine; and with each mile 
of the way the enjoyment increased. Pug- 
gie soon discovered Grandfadder on the 
front seat, and insisted on sitting beside 
him, which Ruth, after some persuasion, 

73 


agreed to; but he found it so cold that 
he soon begged to go back to his snug, 
warm place on the back seat. 

“Say, Grandfadder, do you know who 
we are?” asked Ruth. 

“Certainly; a nice family party taking 
a ride. That ’s not a hard question to 
answer.” 

“No; guess again.” 

“Cinderella going to the ball.” 

“Nope.” 

“Then three little boys that ‘a-sliding 
went upon a summer’s day.’” 

“Nope.” 

“Three snow-birds looking for their 
dinner.” 

“Nope.” 

“Well, I give it up,” said Grand- 
fadder, discouraged. “Who are we?” 

“We are brownies, riding on the sun- 
shine, to visit Santa Claus at the North 
Pole.” 


74 


“Is that so? When shall we get 
there?” 

“Oh, pretty soon; and we’ll take tea 
with Santa Claus.” 

“But,” said Grandfadder, “brownie 
ponies can’t travel to the North Pole; 
it’s too far for them, and too cold.” 

“I know that; but don’t you see our 
ponies are turning into reindeer? See, 
their horns are growing, and before we 
get much farther they will be real, live 
reindeer.” 

“Yes, that is so,” said Grandfadder, 
entering into the fun, “and I am turning 
into Santa Claus, and shall be a real, live 
one by the time we get there.” 

Just then Puggie, whose nose had been 
poking over the back of the sleigh, dis- 
covered two little dogs running after them. 
The temptation to join them was too 
strong for his feeble moral sense; there- 

75 


fore, without permission, or ever asking 
for a leave of absence, he quickly jumped, 
landing on the road in a heap, and the 
other two dogs sought his acquaintance. 

Then there came such a doleful cry 
from Ruth that Grandfadder looked be- 
hind him, and, discovering the pitiful 
situation of Puggie attempting to defend 
himself from his admiring friends, stopped 
the ponies, and rescued the dog, return- 
ing him to Ruth’s arms in disgrace. 

This incident did not dampen their 
pleasure; and on they sped towards the 
North Pole, each step of the way working 
a transformation, in Ruth’s mind, from a 
sober, respectable American family to a 
load of brownies with Santa Claus on the 
front seat. 

As they progressed northward, the 
ponies were transformed into little rein- 
deer. Sherman, the driver, was a veritable 

76 


brownie, with protruding, almond-shaped 
eyes, wearing a pointed cap with a tassel 
hanging down his back. Grandfadder’s 
face gradually became covered with rough 
gray whiskers ; he wore a soft, round fur 
cap, a long fur coat, and smoked a pipe; 
while, hanging on the sleigh from every 
part where foothold was possible, were 
little brownies. Two or three were on 
the reindeers’ backs, a couple on the 
dash-board, one was astride of the whip, 
and several were hanging on behind. 
They were little brownies from every 
nation under the sun, — China, India, 
Russia, England, Ireland, and Germany, 
as well as several of home-made produc- 
tion. They came from every walk of 
life, — doctors, judges, ministers, police- 
men, dudes, and students, — a queer lot, 
dressed in every conceivable manner, 
some for cold weather and some for hot; 


77 


dancing, leaping, tumbling, now here, now 
there, full of glee and mischief. Even 
Puggie acted as though he saw them; for 
he nestled closer, and occasionally gave a 
sharp little bark, as though he did not 
like their company. 

“Look out!” said Grandfadder. “If 
you all get on one side at once, you’ll 
tip us over.” 

“That’s so,” said Ruth, apparently 
frightened. “Sho! sho! Go ’way! Keep 
on the other side!” 

So the merry party passed out of the 
village into the country, going towards 
the North Pole. By this time Grand- 
fadder’s transformation was complete; he 
was a veritable Santa Claus, much to 
Ruth’s delight, and she began conversa- 
tion with him from that standpoint. 

“Good-afternoon, Santa Claus. How 
did you get ’way down here, so far from 
home ? ” ? 8 


“I rode down on the wind, to see you.” 

“Didn’t you find it pretty cold?” 

“Well, not as cold as it is at the 
North Pole. Sometimes it is so cold 
there that my breath freezes, and so do 
my words, and I am covered by them 
with ice, like a big icicle.” 

“How can you walk, then?” queried 
Ruth. 

“When that happens I do not walk; 
I just stand still, hanging to whatever is 
near, till the weather changes to warmer, 
and melts the ice.” 

“Tell me how you get down the chim- 
ney. You are so big that I should think 
you would get stuck in it.” 

“Why, I don’t go down all chim- 
neys,” said Santa Claus. “I take a lot 
of brownies with me; and if the chimneys 
are too small, I send them down with the 
presents.” 


79 


“Oh,” said Ruth, comprehending; 
“but some of the presents are larger than 
the brownies, and too large to carry down 
some chimneys.” 

“Yes, that is so; but then I must tell 
you that I make all of my presents very 
small, or I could not pack them in my 
sack Christmas Eve; they have to be, or 
I could not carry so many, nor get them 
down the chimneys. But after I have 
put them into the stockings, I take my 
pipe out of my mouth, and touch them, 
saying, FILL-UP! and right away they 
swell to the size you see them Christmas 
morning.” 

“Do brownies grow where you come 
from, Grandfadder? ” 

“Yes, they all come from the North 
Pole, and a whole lot live with me, and 
help me make my presents. They are a 
funny, mischievous set, and sometimes 

80 


give me a lot of trouble, but I can man- 
age them ; and when I don’t want them 
around, I pack them away like sardines 
in a box, and put them on a shelf for 
months, till I need them again.” 

“I should think they would starve, 
poor little dears, and be very hungry, 
shut up in a box for so long a time,” 
said Ruth. 

“Oh, no, they do not; they don’t 
know it. They sleep all of the time, 
just like the butterflies in winter, ready to 
come out at the right time. They never 
eat or drink, except a speck of dust or 
a drop of rain. They are a curious lot,” 
explained Santa Claus. 

The conversation had proceeded thus 
far when Sherman, the brownie driver, 
found the roadway filled with a snowdrift, 
so deep that he was afraid his reindeer 
could not pull them through it, and pro- 

6 81 


posed they turn around and go home. 
But that operation was harder to do, in 
the narrow road, than appeared; and just 
as he turned the heads of the pony-rein- 
deer, the sleigh ran into the drift, and 
overturned, dumping all — mudder, Ruth, 
Puggie, Santa Claus, and the brownies — 
into the snow. But the reindeer did not 
run away; they stood quietly, looking 
with their big, wondering eyes at the 
catastrophe. 

The ladies were disposed to treat the 
matter seriously, and Ruth puckered up 
her face to cry, when Grandfadder jumped 
up, laughing, and righted the sleigh, shoo- 
ing away about a thousand brownies, who 
had gathered to witness the disaster. He 
picked up the robes, and put them in the 
sleigh; then, brushing the snow from the 
ladies, he helped them take their seats, 
and was about to take his place, when 

82 


Ruth, almost heartbroken, announced that 
Puggie was lost. Where was the dog? 
Nowhere in sight, that was sure. Perhaps 
the brownies had stolen him; they were 
none too good for that. So a search 
was begun in the snowdrift, and poor 
Puggie was found buried under a foot 
of snow, with eyes, nose, and mouth 
crammed full. 

But the ladies, the robes, the sleigh, the 
dog, and the brownies were so covered 
with the snow gathered from that drift 
that a hurried trip homeward was made 
for dry clothing and a general warming 
up. Nevertheless, Grandfadder remained 
Santa Claus, and the brownies accom- 
panied them; and in that fashion they 
arrived at mudder’s house, none the worse 
for their turn-over, and were welcomed at 
the door by Grandmudder, who had been 
invited to tea also. 


It did not take a long time to put on 
dry clothes and go down to supper. 
Ruth’s cheeks were the color of roses from 
her outing in the cold, crisp air, and she 
was delighted to have Grandfadder and 
Grandmudder to supper. She told fadder 
all about the ride and their company on 
the way, also of their mishap, and then 
informed him that, 

“This is Santa Claus’ House, at the 
North Pole, and Grandfadder is Santa 
Claus. The house is full of brownies, 
and one is sitting on the edge of your tea- 
cup, and another on the cake-basket.” 

No one else besides Ruth and Grand- 
fadder could see them, and he told her 
to put some broken crackers by the side 
of his plate for the brownies to eat; and, 
sure enough, every little while the crack- 
ers would disappear, and she was sure 
the brownies had eaten them. 


84 


After supper she and her twin had to 
explore the house, and see what there was 
in it 5 “for Santa Claus must have many 
funny things in his house,” and they 
wanted to see all of those wonderful things. 
The library was transformed into a work- 
shop, and filled with all sorts of tools for 
making toys. The floor was covered with 
shavings and rubbish, and a way had to 
be cleared before they could get around. 
There were half-finished dolls hanging on 
the walls, unfinished sleds and drums piled 
up on the floor, horns, pails, snow-shovels, 
cornucopias, everywhere 5 and when they 
remembered they were at the North Pole, 
it grew so cold in the room that they had 
to stamp their feet and slap their hands 
to keep them warm. 

By this time the dining-room had been 
changed into a stable, where there were 
eight tiny reindeer, that turned and looked 
85 


at them with great brown eyes as they 
patted them and fed them sugar. Then 
they visited Santa Claus’ bedroom, and 
in the closet were piles of boxes filled 
with sleeping brownies; and great care 
was taken not to waken them, for one 
box was opened by the fire in the grate, 
and out of it jumped a dozen brownies, 
who hopped all over the room, and it 
took a long time to catch them and put 
them back in the box. 

Then the nurse called Ruth to be 
dressed for bed, and, as a great favor, 
Grandfadder was allowed to accompany 
her. This he did willingly; and when 
she was robed for the night, and wrapped 
in a blanket, he took her in his arms and 
sat in the rocking-chair while she said her 
prayers. 

That was a queer prayer. Reverently 
she kneeled on Grandfadder’ s lap, and, 

86 


folding her hands, prayed “Now I lay 
me down to sleep,” then that every one 
and everything she loved should be made 
good and go to heaven, including Grand- 
fadder, Puggie, and the brownies; but it 
was a prayer of faith, and went straight 
to the Father’s great, loving heart, carried 
there by her guardian angel. 

Then she nestled down in her lover’s 
arms, and began to be sleepy; but, as 
the curtains at the window were not 
drawn, she discovered the afterglow of a 
winter’s red sunset, and wondered what 
made it. 

“Oh, look, Grandfadder! See how 
red the sky is ! ” 

“Yes, Sweetheart, isn’t it pretty? The 
snow on the hills is so white and the sky 
is so red.” 

“Do you know what makes it, Grand- 
fadder?” 


87 


“ Well, not exactly, dear, so I can 
explain it to you. It is caused by the 
sun going to bed behind the hills.” 

“Maybe the sun has lighted the gas 
in his bedroom.” 

“ Perhaps.” 

“Or maybe it is cold up there when 
he goes to bed, and he has lighted his fire 
on the hearth.” 

“ Perhaps ; but don’t you think it must 
be a pretty big hearth and fire to make 
so much of the sky red ? ” 

“Yes; but then it is a pretty big 
place,” argued Ruth. “Oh, I know 
what it is, perhaps.” 

“What, Sweetheart?” 

“Some little angel up in heaven has 
been skating on the Crystal Sea, and has 
got his feet wet, and they have made a 
fire to dry them,” declared Ruth, with 
increasing interest. 


“It may be,” assented Grandfadder, 
doubtfully, “but I did not think it was 
ever cold enough in heaven to freeze the 
Crystal Sea.” 

“Then tell me how it can be crystal 
if it is not frozen.” 

Grandfadder said he would think about 
it, and he did, as it grew darker in that 
sweet little bedroom. Then Grandfadder 
sang this song, as Ruth’s eyes gradually 
closed in sleep: — 

Sleep, sleep, my darling Ruth, 

While angels guard thy bed; 

May blessings of Eternal Truth 
Be showered upon thy head. 

Dear Guardian Angel of this child, 
Lead her in paths of right, 

And bring her, sweet and undefiled, 

To visions fair and bright. 


Save her from troubles, far and near, 
That cloy the joys of men, 

And gently guide this little dear 
To heaven’s gates. Amen. 



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OCT 15 1898 








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